


Five Jaffa Fairy Tales

by chocolatekettle



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen, fairytales - Freeform, five things, stealing bits of my childhood for fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-11
Updated: 2011-12-11
Packaged: 2017-10-27 05:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocolatekettle/pseuds/chocolatekettle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stories for Jaffa children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Jaffa Fairy Tales

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for a Gen Fic Day over on Livejournal, so thanks to sg_fignewton. Much is owed to the Brothers Grimm, who told me the story of the boy who went out to find fear, and the Magic Music Box, which introduced me to Scheherazade.

1.

Many millenia ago, the children of the gods lived in darkness. They swam through the waters of their birth, unaware, without knowledge. The gods themselves were alone, and their realms seemed empty to them, and displeased them. So Amun, the first god, came to the world of the Tau'ri and showed to them his great power, and they came to know him as their god. Amun summoned all the gods to him and each chose from among the Tau'ri a host, that they might be as one with their people. To the most worthy of their disciples they gave a prim'ta, the honour of nurturing a child of the gods, and in return for this service the disciples were granted great strength and longevity, and served their gods well for many years.

Thus was the birth of the Jaffa nation, and thus began the faith of our fathers.

 

2.

Once upon a time, in a small village on a world far away from this, a young girl named Fel'ta lived with her mother and father, and they were happy together. But while Fel'ta was still young, her father sinned against his god, and he and his wife were punished for his transgression. After the death of her parents, Fel'ta was taken in by her father's brother who loved her dearly for her father's sake, and she was raised in his household. His wife and children, however, were afraid that their god would be displeased by this, and they grew to hate Fel'ta and treated her harshly.

One day the great god, Ptah, passed through the village on his way to the chaapa'ai, and wishing to honour him, the villagers presented him with many gifts and prepared a great feast in his honour. The young women of the village were sent to serve the god, and many of them were afraid. But as Fel'ta came forward, Ptah noticed her face, for she was very beautiful, and he saw that she was not afraid of him but loved him. When he left the village the next day, Fel'ta went with him, chosen to carry the one who would be Ptah's queen. She soon received the prim'ta and was treated with great honour and affection by Ptah.

Several weeks later, Ptah passed through the village again, returning to his palace. Fel'ta, a dutiful niece, asked his permission to visit her family. Her father's brother was overjoyed to hear of her good fortune, but his wife and children were jealous of the benevolence shown to her by the god, and they mocked her and even struck her.

The god, all-knowing, saw this treatment of his consort and brought the full force of his wrath down upon the perpetrators. Fel'ta's uncle was spared, for he too loved his god, but his family were destroyed in punishment for this insult to Ptah's queen. Then Fel'ta was taken to live in the god's palace, a woman of great importance, and her father's brother went with her as her guard. Both remained loyal and loving servants of the one true god throughout their long lives.

 

3.

A widow had one son, and she sent him to be trained in the ways of a warrior. On the day he completed his training, she wept, and when he asked if he had disappointed her she told him that although she was proud of him, she feared lest he should fall in battle as his father had, and leave her alone. Confused, the youth asked her to explain fear to him, for he had never felt it. Unable to understand his mother's explanation, he went out in search of fear and vowed to travel through the stars until he discovered it.

He visited all the worlds in the empire of the goddess, and even some beyond, and on each world he asked the wise men about the nature of fear and where to find it and he went to all the places of which they spoke. He faced many dangers, but always he left with his quest unfulfilled.

He went to the place that was rumoured to be haunted by the unquiet souls who could not find their way to paradise. He spent one night there listening to their misery and malice, and felt nothing but pity because they had not died well.

He found Kheb, where his weapons were wrenched from his hands by a great wind and he was left defenceless. He bowed his head in recognition of a greater strength, left his weapons where they lay and returned to the chaapa'ai, not yet ready to move on to a new quest.

He came to the world of the Unas, the first ones, and was attacked by one of those formidable beasts. Weaponless, he saw that he would be killed and since he had not yet found fear, he tricked the beast and escaped to another world.

He joined the army of his goddess and fought in many battles against the Jaffa of rival gods. Each time he entered into battle willingly, even eagerly, and never flinched or wavered in his purpose.

He became well-known because of his great valour and when the First Prime died, the goddess chose him to be first among her warriors, and on that day he found fear. As First Prime, he would lead men into battle and, if they did not all return, he would be responsible for their deaths. If a battle were lost, it would be he who had disappointed the goddess.

He was terrified, and pleaded that he was not worthy. But the goddess said to him, "You have served me well for many years; you have done everything I have ever asked of you and I have rewarded you. Will you dare deny me this?"

His love for the goddess proved stronger than his terror. Having found fear, he faced it and overcame it, and took up his position as First Prime.

 

4.

The things I am telling you now happened many hundreds of years ago, before the gods made their treaty, when all the worlds were at war, when everything was different. The First Prime of Apophis then was Me'tac, and the enemies he slew for his lord were legion. Now Me'tac was in love with a woman from his home land, a beautiful and intelligent woman named Aesh'ma, and in reward for Me'tac's service Apophis presented her to him to be his wife. For some years they lived peacably together, for Me'tac had all his heart desired and Aesh'ma, though she loved another, was proud of her husband and enjoyed the wealth and power her marriage brought her. But eventually she became deeply unhappy, for she spent much of her time thinking of her lover. When Me'tac was away from home, Aesh'ma went to he whom she loved and shared his bed. Her maidservant saw where she went every night, and betrayed her secret to Me'tac when he returned.

In those days a cheated husband had the right of kel'mar tokeem over both his unfaithful wife and her lover, and in his anguish Me'tac was determined that both should be put to death. He gave Aesh'ma's lover a quick death, as was the custom, and went to his wife to mete out her punishment. Aesh'ma begged him for mercy but he was unyielding and finally, in desperation, she asked that he allow her to tell her children one last story before she was taken from them forever.

Now Aesh'ma had a great store of myths and legends and a great gift of imagination, and the story she told her children that night was so beguiling that even Me'tac was enthralled. Aesh'ma saw that while she spoke her husband was captivated, and she saw that when the story ended he reached for his knife. Afraid to face her death, Aesh'ma quickly began another story, and wove as enchanting a mystery as she could, and stopped before the end, saying that the rest of the tale was for another night.

When they left the children, Me'tac demanded to know the end of the story, but Aesh'ma shook her head and refused. "You will hear the end when I tell it to our children," she said, and her husband relented.

"You have won one day's grace," he told her, "and then I shall put you to death, as is my right and as you deserve."

The next night Aesh'ma finished her tale and again she saw Me'tac reach for his weapon. But then her children saved her, clamouring for just one more story, just one more, and again she stopped before the end. And again Me'tac granted her one more day.

So the unfaithful Aesh'ma lived. Each night she left a story unfinished, and each day she strove to think of another, for if she failed her husband would surely kill her.

And these are the stories that she told...

 

5.

In the time of our servitude, a great warrior lived who will be honoured forever among the Jaffa. He was both strong and wise, and rose to power, winning the favour of his god, Apophis. As First Prime of Apophis this warrior witnessed the god's arrogance, cruelty and greed. He saw that Apophis cared nothing for the Jaffa who worshipped him, that he used them only to further his own interests, that he threw away their lives without concern. In time, he realised a truth that few Jaffa before him had known.

The gods were not gods. Countless generations of Jaffa had been deceived. Our people were not honoured followers of true gods, but unwitting slaves. Our masters were parasites who took hosts by force and who used the Jaffa to perpetuate their race. They were beings of pure evil; powerful beings, but not gods.

This great warrior rebelled against the false god Apophis. He befriended the people known as the Tau'ri and together with his companions he spread the truth among the ranks of the Jaffa, and many flocked to his cause. They fought to restore their honour, to overcome generations of subjection, to avenge all those who had died in the service of the Goa'uld. They fought for the right to die free. Their battle was long and bitter but in the end they prevailed. The false gods were defeated.

It is because of the efforts of this warrior that we live and die in freedom. He was the greatest of all Jaffa and the founder of this free nation.

His name was Teal'c.


End file.
